


The end of the world as we know it: Or 5 times Annie almost hugged Jeff – and one time he hugged her

by La_Pacifidora



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 14:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1229347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/La_Pacifidora/pseuds/La_Pacifidora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In short, it had been a successful social outing, and Annie was thinking how she would describe it in her journal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The end of the world as we know it: Or 5 times Annie almost hugged Jeff – and one time he hugged her

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [Milady/Milord on LJ in April 2011](http://milady-milord.livejournal.com/409856.html). Unbeta'd.
> 
> Spoilers: Post 2.21, “Applied Anthropology”; assumes knowledge through 2.19 “Critical Film Studies”
> 
> Rating/ Warnings: ‘U’ for ‘unabashed’, ‘S’ for ‘shmoopy’; oh, and a single F-bomb
> 
> Disclaimers: Not mine. I’m just playing in Dan’s sandbox – at least till he comes and kicks me out. :::blows raspberry::: Title is from the R.E.M. song.
> 
> Author’s note: This is the result of a completely crappy week at work. As part of the crappiness was my own fault and work is generally tolerable, I felt a little silly asking for someone else to write me fluff. So I decided to write my own fluff – only it ended up a little more angsty than I’d have liked.

Annie was perched on a chair at the edge of the dance floor, gulping down her third glass of Green Goddess Punch, which _was_ a little thick but not nearly as gross as it sounded.

The Green Week dance was in full swing: Britta’s ex had somehow talked Greene Day into letting him join them onstage and was currently rocking out on a lap harp; Troy and Abed were holding court with a group of pretty girls as they explained how they had valiantly searched for and rescued Fievel; and everyone was trying desperately to ignore Senor and Senora Chang, who were making out in a dark corner.

In short, it had been a successful social outing, and Annie was thinking how she would describe it in her journal when Jeff collapsed into a chair next to hers, a half-empty bottle of water in one hand.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Annie spared him a glance before returning her attention to the crowded dance floor, where she occasionally caught sight of Britta and Shirley doing their best to avoid Pierce as they danced. (Well, she thought to herself, _dancing_ might be too charitable a term for Britta’s strange hopping.)

“I’m almost beginning to regret fixing Chang, if that’s the result.” Jeff’s face was twisted in fascinated disgust when she turned to look at him. She followed his gaze to the corner, where one of Chang’s hands was on his wife’s butt and the other – Annie’s mouth dropped open slightly, and she averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks flush.

“Oh!” Her voice sounded strangled, even to her own ears, and she wasn’t sure she could meet Jeff’s eyes, which were now firmly focused on her face. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and shook her head. “I did _not_ need to see that.”

“Yep.” Jeff chuckled and took a drink of water. “It’s bad enough when we realize teachers are people with actual lives.” He shot another glance over at the corner and shuddered. “We don’t need full-color illustration of it, too.” He turned again to Annie. “What do you think she sees in him?”

“Jeff!” Annie’s eyes flew open as she turned to him indignantly, purposely avoiding looking toward the corner again. “He may not be nice as an instructor, but I’m sure he has many good points as a human being.”

“Annie.” Jeff’s brow wrinkled as he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I’ve spent time with him outside of school.” His eyebrows rose, wrinkling his forehead further. “Trust me: He has no good points.”

“Well.” Annie shrugged and gestured vaguely in Jeff’s direction. “You’re a guy. Maybe his good traits are only apparent to women…” She trailed off as he smirked at her. “OK. You’re right: I don’t get it either.” She looked down into her cup and swirled around the last dregs of her punch before tipping it back and setting the empty cup on a nearby table. “But what’s important is that she does love him – for _whatever_ reason – and was willing to forgive him.”

“No, what’s important is that he’ll stop acting like Kim Jong Il’s less pleasant cousin.”

“ _Jeff_!” Annie gaped at him, although a smile seemed to tug at her lips. She reached out and smacked him on the arm, even as his shoulders shook in quiet laughter. “The important thing is you did the right thing for Senor Chang and for your friends, even though it didn’t directly benefit you.”

“I only did this so I wouldn’t have to spend another night hanging out with him.” Jeff shrugged and sat back in the chair, looking anywhere but at her. But Annie noticed an embarrassed smile that appeared and disappeared as quickly as the chicken fingers served at lunch some days.

“Uh huh.” She stared at him silently for a moment, giving him a brilliant smile when he finally glanced back at her.

“Shut up.”

“You _like_ us.”

“Shuddup.”

“There’s nothing wrong with admitting it, Jeff.” Annie’s smile turned slightly patronizing when he stood and looked down at her, a disinterested look on his face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He finished off the rest of his water and screwed the lid back on before pointing at her empty cup. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Hmm.” Annie’s gaze slid from the empty cup to the dance floor. “No.” She stood and tugged on the hem of her sweater. “But I do want you to dance with me.”

“No.”

“Tough.” She took the empty water bottle from his hand and put it down, then slid her hand into his and turned toward the dance floor. She stopped when Jeff didn’t move: Glancing back, she saw a look of mild trepidation on his face. She took a step forward, her other hand rising to slip around his waist, but she stopped and put it instead on her hip and tugged at the hand she held. “C’mon. Come dance with us.” She gave him an innocent look when he glanced down at her. “I promise we won’t bite.”

“Bossy brat.”  
***  
Annie turned the corner and nearly bumped into someone who was standing behind the trophy case. Looking up, she recognized the back of a carefully careless head of hair and quirked an eyebrow as she leveled a finger and poked Jeff in the middle of the back.

“Ow!” He started and spun to look for who had poked him. A quiet huff drew his attention to Annie, who was gazing up at him, the finger in question still raised and pointed at him. “What?”

“Is there a reason you’re blocking the hallway?”

“I’m not the Berlin Wall, Annie.” He turned so his back was to the wall and gestured at the trophy case. “See? I’m standing to one side of the hallway.”

“Why are you hiding behind the trophy case?”

“I’m not hiding.”

“Jeff.” She raised both eyebrows and stared up at him expectantly.

“Annie.” He mimicked her expression and stared back at her for several long moments before he blinked and shook his head. “Fine. It’s those kids.” He stuck his head around the trophy case and nodded down the hall. 

Annie leaned out and followed his gaze, to where a cluster of high school kids – the ones who had mocked Jeff and Britta so relentlessly – were standing in front of a bulletin board. She straightened and looked back at Jeff.

“What about them?”

“I thought about it and decided the mature thing to do would be to avoid them, so I won’t be tempted to sink to their level.” Jeff scowled when she snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. His scowl turned into a grimace, and he exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’m trying to avoid those punks because I don’t need a bunch of kids to remind me that I’m a complete fuck up.”

“You’re not a-” Annie hesitated as she searched for an appropriate word. “You’re not a complete failure.”

“Thanks.” Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hadn’t exactly been thinking ‘failure,’ but that’s probably more accurate.” He slumped a little and scrubbed a hand over his face. “The point is, I can remind myself when I wake up and get ready to come _here_.” 

Annie put a hand on his arm and rubbed it gently. She took a step closer and considered wrapping both arms around his waist, awkwardness be damned. Movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she noticed the teenagers were headed toward them. Her lips pressed into a thin line for a moment before she forced a smile on her face and wrapped the hand on Jeff’s arm around his bicep and backed away from him around the corner. She laughed loudly and shook her head. 

“Oh, Jeff! I can’t believe you! You’re _so_ bad!” She glanced toward the teenagers when he turned to her in confusion. She tugged him close as he stepped away from the wall and slipped her arm through his as they headed down the hallway, leaning up to speak in his ear. 

“Just go with it.”

“What the hell, Annie?” He glanced back when she did, seeing the teenage boys gaping after the two of them – or, more likely, gaping at her legs as they walked away.

“You can’t let them see that they’ve gotten to you.” She leaned her head forward to look up into his eyes. “Trust me: They can smell fear.”  
***  
Everything might as well have been moving in slow motion. If everything had suddenly slowed to the speed of a snail, it would’ve been the least surreal thing to happen since Pierce sunk his teeth into Starburns’ arm.

Annie saw the ice skate leave Chang’s hand, turning end over end, and hurtle through the air. Absently, she wondered whether it would embed in the wall or shatter the window behind her. 

Considering it was Chang, her gut told her his aim wouldn’t just be poor: It would completely suck.

She met Jeff’s eyes briefly amid the tinkling of broken glass, and considered trying to smile, for his sake. His face was its normal mask of sarcasm and indifference, but in that moment when their eyes met, she knew he felt the same blinding panic she’d felt come bubbling up when the Dean had locked the doors behind them, trapping their group with the infected.

But she couldn’t smile, not with the growls of the infected students behind her growing in volume by the second, like when she fell asleep on her couch and rolled over on the volume button of the TV remote.

She shifted forward, ready to make a run for it – make a run for Jeff. She’d throw her arms around him. She wouldn’t let go. She’d hug him like her life depended on it.

And maybe, if they were lucky and she could manage to remember the rules of scary movies Abed had so helpfully reviewed last week, they’d make it out of here safely.

She met Jeff’s eyes again as the hands of the infected grabbed her arms and legs and neck through the shattered window, pulling her back – away from relative safety, away from her friends, away from _him_.

Jeff shouting her name was just audible over the growls and the pounding of her own heart in her own ears as her pulse skyrocketed and teeth clamped onto her shoulder.

In her last moment of clarity, she realized she should’ve gone for that hug.  
***  
Annie watched as Abed and his camera crew moved down the hallway toward the waiting room and looked back at the tiara she held in her lap. Sure, she’d said she knew Pierce had given it to her as a test, but if she was honest – at least with herself – she had no clue why she’d been given such an expensive and beautiful gift.

She knew she wasn’t a horrible person, but girls who over-dosed on study drugs; blew their shot at a fancy college education (among other things); and made out with guys for whom their good friend had just publicly declared their love – well, girls like that simply weren’t given tiaras.

She sighed heavily and stood up, walking down the hall and fighting the urge to duck into the ladies room and at least see how it would look perched atop her head. As she passed a supply closet, she heard a familiar ‘dammit’ and stopped. Turning back, she paused at the door and peered through the window, watching as Jeff paced the small room, every line of his frame vibrating with rage. She considered walking away, but took a deep breath and turned the door handle instead.

“Go away, Abed.”

“Not Abed.” Annie closed the door and leaned back against it, giving him a small smile.

“Go away, Annie.”

“Nope. Sorry. Can’t do that.” She tilted her head to one side and shrugged when he turned to glare at her before he resumed pacing. She watched him silently for several minutes. “Do you really think Pierce is dying?”

“No.”

“Do you really think he’s purposely trying to mess with us with these ‘gifts’?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really think your dad is coming?”

“ _No_.” Jeff stopped mid-stride, and turned his head just enough to meet her eyes with his own. They stared at each other silently, Jeff in the middle of the small room, seeming to fill the entire space; and Annie with her back against the door, her fingernails tapping against the stones in the tiara she still clutched. Finally, Jeff looked away and exhaled audibly. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I want him to show up.” He cleared his throat. “Go away, Annie.”

“It’s OK if you want to see your dad.” Annie lifted her chin defiantly even as she pressed back against the door when Jeff turned a dark look on her. “It’s OK if you want to see him, even if it’s just because you want to yell at him.” She inhaled sharply when the next moment he was standing in front of her, his chest less than an inch from hers, his palms flat against the door on either side of her shoulders and his breath fanning across her face.

“I told you to leave it.” Annie understood for the first time in her life what authors meant when they described someone’s tone as dangerous. She closed her eyes and swallowed thickly but raised her head and met his eyes.

“No. You told _me_ to leave.”

“So I did.” Some of the tension in his arms left, and he leaned even closer to her, his nose hovering at her hairline. When he spoke again, there was defeat in his voice. “Why won’t you just go away?”

“I-” She hesitated and licked her lips, conscious that his eyes had dropped to her mouth. “Because I’m not some dumb bimbo you picked up at a bar.” She tilted her head to one side so she could see his eyes, dimly aware that practically all she needed to do was inhale, and they’d be kissing again. But the look on his face showed he knew the exact same thing and, pushing aside the full weight of her disappointment, she knew, in that moment, he didn’t need someone to kiss him. So she smiled and slipped the hand with the tiara behind her, focusing on the pain as it dug into her palm, holding it as tightly as she wanted to hold on to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Because I’m your friend. You can be as angry as you want, but I’m not going anywhere.”

“Stubborn.”  
***  
The lights of the commercial district had all long since shut off, leaving only the intermittent yellow-orange glow of the street lights. Although the restaurant where Abed’s birthday party had finished was in a safe area, Jeff insisted on walking Annie to her car.

(He said it was because he had parked nearby. But Annie was pretty sure she knew better.)

They were laughing about Pierce claiming – loudly and repeatedly – he’d only walked into a post because of the mask he wore, and not the multitude of shots he and Chang had challenged each other to do.

Annie noticed Jeff giving her the side eye and raised a single eyebrow under the fringe of her fake bangs.

“What?”

“It’s-” He licked his lips and shook his head. “It’s weird. I didn’t think anyone could make that haircut work.” He smirked when she raised a self-conscious hand to her wig, chuckling when she tugged it off.

“Don’t be mean.” She sped up, digging her car keys out of her purse and approaching the driver’s side door.

“I wasn’t.” Jeff jogged after her, putting a hand on the door she’d begun to open and pushing it closed. He waited until she turned to face him and smiled. “I _wasn’t_ , honestly.” He reached down and took the wig from her, holding it up. “But Honey Bunny wasn’t supposed to look as good as you did.” He coughed. “Do.”

“Stop.” Annie crossed her arms over her chest, fiddling with one of the buttons on her dress, and glancing at him before looking away. 

“I mean it.” Jeff straightened and turned the wig one way, then the other. “I don’t think Britta could’ve pulled this off.”

“No. Because Britta is Uma Thurman.”

“Britta wanted to dress up as _Mia_.” Jeff frowned, but his eyes were smiling. “I don’t think she wants to be Uma Thurman.” He lowered his voice. “Did you see ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend’? I don’t think anyone would aspire to that career trajectory.”

“Uh huh.” Annie met his eyes and smiled a little, reaching up and taking the wig back. “So, how are you going to top this party? ‘Kill Bill’ next year?”

“Um. No.” Jeff shook his head. “That movie doesn’t end well for most of the male characters.”

“Are you sure?” Annie looked up at him through her lashes and smiled wryly. “I’d probably make a good Gogo Yubari.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud when his eyes glazed over and his jaw went slack. 

“Uh.” Jeff cleared his throat loudly and looked out over the tops of the cars for a long moment before looking back at Annie. “Right.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I’ll see you Monday. Be careful driving home.” He raised his hands at the same time she did, both pausing before trying again and laughing awkwardly. Annie sighed softly and opened her mouth to speak.

“Just pa-” She stopped as Jeff leaned forward and pressed his lips to her hairline, his breath cool against the slightly sweaty strands. She blinked slowly as he turned and walked away toward his car, clenching the wig in one hand and licking her lips. She caught sight of him at the end of the row. “Jeff!” She waited till he looked back before continuing. “It was really nice of you to throw this party for Abed.” She didn’t shout, but her voice was just loud enough to carry over the distance between them. 

Jeff didn’t reply, just raised a hand and waved. She raised her own hand and waved, frowning when she heard his laughter distantly. She looked over and saw the wig in her hand and frowned as she climbed into her car, tossing it in the back seat. 

But as she glanced in the rearview mirror, she smiled and decided she might just hang on to the wig – for a little while at least.  
***  
Jeff had offered to drive Abed, Britta and Annie back to campus. He’d followed Abed in when his friend offered him a refill for his travel coffee mug.

It had been a long 12 hours since Shirley collapsed next to Annie’s desk in anthropology class. 

They’d followed her to the hospital, arriving just in time to see Abed helping her out of the passenger seat and into a wheelchair a nurse had brought out to meet them.

(They’d decided weeks ago that, if Shirley went into labor at school, Abed would drive her in her van. Annie and Britta would ride with Jeff, while Pierce and Troy were responsible for Chang.  
Shirley had argued against this plan, but was eventually overruled by the rest of the group.)

Andre arrived about a half hour later, with Jordan and Elijah in tow. Britta and Annie took turns checking on Shirley, while Jeff chatted with Andre and tried to keep Chang in line. Troy and Abed helped Shirley’s sons with their homework, then orchestrated some strange game that involved a stack of coffee filters Abed found in a cupboard. Pierce hovered outside Shirley’s door, throwing his weight around at the nurses’ station and generally making a nuisance – except when he kept Chang from getting into the room.

The baby was born, much to everyone’s relief, after only a few hours of labor: A healthy 8 pounds, 13 ounces, with dark eyes and a fuzz of dark brown hair.

The study group stuck around for several hours, visiting with the new mother and oohing and ah-ing over tiny fingers and toes. They all eventually fell into a fitful sleep in the waiting room, keeping an eye on Shirley’s boys until their father could take them home. Jordan slumped against Pierce’s side on one couch, while Troy and Britta leaned against each other on another. Abed took up two chairs when he stretched out, while Elijah crashed on a couch, his head in Annie’s lap and covered with her jacket. Annie’s head rested against Jeff’s shoulder, his arm around her shoulders and his jacket draped over them both. Chang was on Jeff’s other side, his head resting on Jeff’s other shoulder.

The hospital staff simply shook their heads, and closed the door to that particular waiting room, after checking that the coffee machine had fresh grounds for the morning.

Shortly after 8 a.m. they dispersed and headed home for a few hours of sleep in their own beds. (Thankfully, Shirley had gone into labor late Thursday and none of them had Friday classes.) It was with the thought of his bed that kept Jeff moving as he headed back to his car, his travel mug now full and warm against his fingers. He decided to take the short cut through the library, still quieter than the practically empty campus; the only person he’d passed was the Danish custodian, Jahn E. Toar, who’d politely nodded but said nothing.

As he passed Group Study Room F, he caught sight of a familiar head of dark, shiny hair spilling over the table. He yawned and shook his head, changing course and quietly entering the study room. Forgoing his usual chair, he slid into the usually empty seat next to Annie’s and sipped his coffee. He frowned and set the mug down when she didn’t say anything after several minutes. 

“Edison?” He put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. “Annie? Are you asleep? Do you need a ride?”

“No.” Her voice was muffled against the table top and her folded arms.

“OK.” Jeff stared at his hand where it lay on her shoulder for a minute, unsure what to do next. He reached forward and pulled back her hair, noticing the flush on the patch of cheek he could see. “Are you sick?”

“No!” Annie raised her head and stared at him, her eyes wide and red rimmed. Jeff sighed.

“OK, Edison. What’s wrong this time?”

“This ti-” Her mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before she frowned. “You know what? Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine. Great, even.”

“Annie.” His tone was weary. “If you’re going to flip out, can you wait till later today? I’m sort of beat.” His brow furrowed when she gave him a dark look.

“Go to hell, Jeff.”

“ _What_?”

“Go. To. Hell.” Annie sat up straight and crossed her arms.

“What the hell did I do?”

“If I’m going to ‘flip out’? Really, Jeff?” She sneered. “Is that your response to everything? ‘Oh, don’t worry; it’s just Crazy Annie being crazy’?” She shook her head and gathered her book bag and stuffed her cardigan in it as she stood. “Screw you.”

“Annie.” Jeff stood as well and stepped in front of her, grabbing her upper arms when she simply tried to go around him. “Wait.” He bent a little to look in her face, then caught her chin and turned her face toward his when she tried to turn away. “What’s wrong? Ar-are you-” He paused, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear, his curled fingers hovering by her cheek. “Have you been crying?”

“No.” She sniffled reflexively and lifted her chin. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because you look like you’ve been crying.” He met her defiant stare and held it for a long moment before he took her bag from her and set it down on the table. Then he gently pulled her forward, folding his arms around her smaller frame. He ran a hand over her hair, urging her head forward when she didn’t move, holding her arms stiffly at her sides. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, barely disturbing the flyaway hairs at her crown. “Who do I need to beat up?”

Annie’s response was somewhere between a laugh and a sob: Seconds later, Jeff felt something warm and damp soak through his shirt. He rubbed her back and murmured quiet, nonsensical noises, completely aware this wasn’t smart, and that Shirley – or even Britta or Troy – would be managing this better. After several minutes, during which he felt her hands clench into fists in the material of his shirt, she turned her head enough that her face wasn’t smushed against his chest.

“No-no one.” She spoke haltingly, her sobs not entirely under control yet.

“What happened?”

“Shir-Shirley had her baby.”

“Yeah.”

“Stu-study schedule’s all screwed up.” She took a shuddering breath. “A-and finals’re next week.”

“Shirley should’ve waited until next week to have her baby?”

“N-no.” Jeff interpreted the movement of her head as a head shake and leaned his head to the side so he could look down and see her face. He noticed a strand of hair stuck her cheek and peeled it away, blotting at her tear tracks with the cuff of his sweater. “B-but it’s all wr-wrong. It’s n-not p-part of the plan.” She sniffled again and wrapped one arm around his waist fully; Jeff squeezed her in return.

“Yeah. But it’s not the end of the world. If it makes you feel any better, I’m got the feeling Shirley would’ve preferred to wait another week, too.”

“No.” Annie hiccoughed, her breathing harsh as she visibly fought to control her tears. “I-it’s not th-that.”

“It’s not Shirley’s baby?”

“It’s e-e-everything.” She sobbed again, and he put a hand to the back of her head, worried at the violence of her tears. He waited until she pushed against it and took a deep breath. “N-nothing is g-going according to my p-plan.”

“Like what?”

“Like what?” She pulled back just enough that she could look him in the eye. “I’m still _here_! At a _community college_. I’m unemployed. Every job I apply for I’m either u-under or overqua-qualified for. The few interviews I’ve had were for jobs that made me think I’d p-probably e-end up stabbing myself in the eye with a pen.  
“M-my history professor is th-this bipolar _bitch_ , who is nice one day and a c-complete monster the next.  
“M-my cousin is getting m-married next month, b-but she didn’t bother to send me an invitation with a p-plus one because everyone’s decided I’m a-always going to be alone. But th-that’s not going to stop them f-from asking me why I’m still single.  
“A-and now Shirley’s had her baby.” Annie swallowed thickly and shook her head again, burying her head against Jeff’s shoulder. She continued in a muffled voice. “I-I’m really happy for her. But now I’m not going to see her at all this summer.” She turned her head a little. “I’m not going to see anyone.”

Jeff smoothed his hand over her hair slowly, murmuring to her quietly.

“You’ll see people.”

“No.” She sniffled. “E-everything sucks.” He barely heard her next comment. “I-I suck.”

“No.” Jeff leaned down to meet her teary gaze. “You don’t.” He licked his lips. “I’ll go to your cousin’s wedding with you. And-” He shook his head when she made to speak. “That’s the end of it. OK?” He smiled softly when she nodded slowly, brushing at a tear caught in her lower lashes with his thumb. His curled fingers rested against her cheek and his thumb brushed against her skin once, twice, as his eyes dropped to her lips. She blinked suddenly, her lashes brushing against his skin.

“C-careful.” She licked her lips. “Someone might think we’ll kiss.” She smiled tremulously.

“Us? Kissing?” Jeff swallowed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah.” Annie breathed, her own eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth and back. “Ridiculous.”  
***


End file.
